Tales of Fate
by Archdemon Slayer
Summary: About 60 years after the 5th war, all the same Servants are in it, but only one is sane. In an attempt to escape the other six, the Servant and his Master enter a rift and end up in Terca Lumires.
1. Chapter 1

**So I have Hope from Tales of Shadows as a Master. This takes place a month after the end of Tales of Vesperia. Hope is 20 and has the same sword, but she is wearing a black T-shirt and blue shorts. Mana-powered blastia are present, and Hope uses variations of them.**

 **I watch the Ufotable Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works English dubbed, which is what this story has some references from. Hope is paired with Lancer. He's my favorite Servant, especially after he hit Shinji in the head with his tracking rune, punched the asshole into some crates, threw him into the crates, called him a douchebag(thank you), and lightly stabbed him(I bet it would have been deeper if he hadn't used his energy on Kirei and Shinji with his fatal wound.)**

* * *

At Ryudou Temple, Lancer was holding his Master up. She was drained of mana from using so many spells. The other six Servant surrounded the two, except their skin was a blackish-gray. Blood ran down Lancer's face from a previous cut from Saber's sword.

"Finally here," Lancer's Master, Hope, panted, looking behind the warrior. Assassin took a step forward and Lancer tensed. Hope shook her head. "Not now. It's time to retreat."

The man grit his teeth, but followed Hope's order. After the last war, a rip in the fabric of space had appeared in the spot where Excalibur had been used to destroy the Grail. The six Corrupted Servants kept attacking Lancer and Hope, and they decided to use the rip as a means of escape.

As Berserker swung his ax down on the two, Lancer picked up Hope and jumped through the rip.

* * *

"Where the hell are we?" Were the first words out of Hope's mouth. She and her Servant were in a giant forest. She noticed the sun was setting. "We'd better find someplace to sleep."

"Hopefully we're not too far from a town," the demigod said.

And they weren't. Lancer picked Hope up bridal-style and ran through the forest, since she was too tired to do so herself. Some skirmishes with wolves later, they were out of the forest and saw large walls surrounding a town. As they went in it, Lancer glanced at the woman.

"Should I change to modern clothes?"

"Doesn't look like it. I saw a group of people wearing armor. Kinda weird, though. I wonder where we ended up."

After talking to someone in front of a few tents, they learned the needed to pay with something called gald.

"Shit!" Hope hissed. She rubbed the back of her head. "We don't have any."

The person inhaled. "Fine. You guys can stay just one night for free. But don't tell anyone else I did this!"

"Thank God!" Hope sighed and practically dove into the indicated tent.

Lancer grinned, following her in. "Ya sure are eager."

"It'll be nice to recharge my mana," she said, settling her head down in the pillow.

"I hope yer ready fer some fun!" Lancer climbed over her, a wolfish grin on his face.

"Not right now. I'm too tired." Lancer's face dropped and he sighed, falling on the spot right next to the mage, pulling his portion of the blankets over him.

"Yer no fun sometimes, ya know?"

"Whatever." Hope looked at the back of her right hand. The Command Seals were shaped like the outline of an hourglass with a circle in the center. The top half of the hourglass was faded, with only two Command Seals left. She had used one during an encounter with the Corrupted Servants. One, Caster, was out in the open and Lancer rushed at her, full of bloodlust and not checking his senses. But Hope had picked up the other five waiting in an ambush. She forced the man to stop and saved him from getting his head taken off.

Hope summoned a lancer-class Servant almost immediately after her Command Seals appeared. Apparently, it was in time, too. The Grail was corrupted and it spewed out the Servants from the last war. However, the Corruption had taken over their minds and they seemed hell-bent on killing Lancer, probably because he was the only sane Servant, but the Gail supplied them with mana. However, his connection to the Grail made a little Corruption appear on him, starting at the neck, and spread slowly. Luckily, Hope found a way to sever his connection to the Grail and still remain in the world, feeding off Hope's mana. His Corruption receded and he wouldn't fade after the Grail War was finished, as long as Hope continued to supply him with mana, but her Command Seals would. However, the war wouldn't be over until one Servant-Master pair remained, so Lancer and Hope fought so it would be them.

Hope glanced over at her Servant as he sat up, stripping down to his boxers and taking the clasp out and the earrings off, setting them in a pile next to him.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" she snarled through clenched teeth.

"Gettin' comfy," he said like it was totally normal.

Hope rolled her eyes. "You can be such a baby. I told you I'm too tired for sex!" she almost shouted as Lancer wrapped his arms around his Master, pulling her to his chest.

"I jus' wanna cuddle with ya," he murmured. Hope let out a string of curses and gave up, curling up as close to him as she could.

"You're lucky you're handsome, or I would've punched you into next week."

The demigod smirked. "So I can get away with anythin'?"

"Don't push it!"

* * *

The next morning, Hope awoke to a bunch of blue hair in her face.

"Dammit, Cu Chulainn!" she spat, brushing the hair out of her face. Most of the night, her Servant was snoring right in her ear, so she was in a foul mood.

She nudged the still-sleeping spearman. "Time to wake up, Setanta you lazy ass!" When the man didn't stir, Hope pushed his again, harder. "Get up!" Nothing. She leaned close to his ear. "WAKE UP DOG!"

Red eyes shot open, and the man almost jumped out of his skin and sat up immediately. Hope leaned back with a satisfied smirk on her face. Lancer snapped his head over to her, glaring.

"Yer evil, ya know?"An' don't call me a dog!

"Yeah, yeah. Get dressed. We need to find out where we are."

The two split up, asking around for their location. Hope learned they were in a place called Deidon Hold, but still didn't know how far from Fuyuki she and Lancer were. When she asked, she got weird looks. After a while, the two met up again.

"I found a world map," Lancer said. "But ya won't like what it says."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"Take a look at where we are." Hope leaned over and looked at the map. She almost passed out when she saw what the lands were part of.

"Terca Lumires," she groaned. "We're in another fucking world. Talk about a shitty piece of news."

"I don't think it's too bad," Lancer chimed. "We have a chance to explore another world!"

Hope glared at him. "I don't see everything as rainbows and moonbeams like you do. In case you forgot, we're being _hunted_!"

Lancer frowned at her. "First: I do NOT see everythin' like that! Second: We're in another world, so we're safe from the other Servants!"

"If they went into the rip, they could end up here as well!"

An annoying alarm broke up the fighting. Hope looked at the town's gate. A giant cloud of dust had formed, with several beasts charging at it, led by a large one.

"Fuck..." was all Lancer said.

Hope's eyes widened at that scene. "Even someone like you couldn't handle all of those."

Once the gate closed, Lancer sighed. "It seems we hafta go the other way fer help."

But as the two turned, Hope bumped into someone, knocking her and the person down. "Sorry 'bout that!"

The person she ran into was a woman with orange hair, purple eyes, and wearing armor with a blue-and-white tunic. "It was partially my fault. I was in a rush to track the unseasonable movements of the Lord of the Plains," she said. After Lancer helped the two women up, both brushed themselves off before the woman took off again.

As the two left town, Hope murmured, "Something about her made me want to hit her."


	2. Chapter 2

After quite a bit of traveling, Hope and Lancer made it to a bridge. The sun was high up in the sky. A city could be seen across the bridge, on the horizon.

"About time!" Hope cheered. "I'm dead on my feet!" Lancer stopped and Hope turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away just as a beam of violet magic hit the ground. Lancer summoned Gae Bolg and Hope took out her sword. In front of them, Dragon Tooth Warriors rose from the ground and Caster hovered over the golems, a rainbow pattern under her robe as she held it out like a pair of wings.

"I found you," she chuckled, her voice slightly distorted.

Lancer bared his teeth. "So ya guys came to this world after all. An' seein' as how the other five aren't here, I take ya guys split up to sniff us out."

"That fact won't matter if I kill you, mutt," Caster smirked. Lancer grinned.

"Sorry, witch, but those familiars are total pushovers. Hope an' I will take them an' you down!"

Caster growled. "...You just called me a witch..! A dog like you deserves to die!"

As she fired several consecutive magic beams at the warrior, the Dragon Tooth Warriors charged. But Hope jumped at them, flames covering both hands and feet.

"Fire Dance!" She punched and kicked the golems, destroying several of them. However, the destroyed ones put themselves back together. Some lunged at the mage, but she used her sword to chop off their heads. But like the others, the heads went back in place. "Talk about a pain!"

Meanwhile, Lancer was dodging the beams of magic Caster launched at him. The demigod glanced over at his Master to see how she was doing, and Caster took this chance to fly at him, pulling out Rule Breaker.

Hope and Lancer saw this at the same time, but Hope reacted first. She went in between the two Servants, using her sword to block the Noble Phantasm. Lancer ran around Hope, using his spear to knock the dagger from the witch's hand, sending flying into the ground several yards away.

Amidst this, he didn't notice a Dragon Tooth Warrior sneaking up behind Hope until it stabbed her in the back with its sword.

Lancer's eyes widened as he looked back at her. "HOPE!" was the last thing the woman heard before everything went black.

* * *

As Hope opened her eyes, she saw she was in a bed in a white room. She tried sitting up, but a pain that ran through her back and abdomen made her cringe. She put her hand under her shirt over the spot only to feel bandages over it. He shirt felt stiff, like there was a dry liquid in it.

"Don't try moving too much!" a voice next to the woman cautioned. As Hope looked to her left, she saw a lady with pink hair, green eyes, and a pink-and-white dress. "I was able to stop the bleeding for the both of you, but you'll still be sore.

As the mage remembered what happened, she panicked. "Where's Lancer?!" she exclaimed, frantically looking around for the knight. She found him in the bed to her right. He was in his clothes, minus the armor and gold clasp, but there were rips with bloodstains and burns scattered all over. Through the holes, Hope could see the white of bandages. He slowly opened his eyes and looked over at his Master.

"Yo," he greeted, smiling weakly. Hope either wanted to slap him for being stupid enough to get cut up or hug him for... whatever he did to keep her from being killed.

A man walked into the room. He was wearing a similar outfit as the woman from Deidon Hold. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. "I'm glad to see you're both awake."

"Yeah. Thanks fer helpin', Flynn," Lancer said, waving at the man. "You too, Estelle."

"I-It was nothing!" the girl, Estelle, replied, moving over near Flynn.

"Who was that cloaked woman, anyway?" Flynn asked.

"It was, um..." Lancer stammered, not wanting to give anything away about the Grail War away to outsiders. It was already bad enough they saw he and Caster fighting.

"Just a random person!" Hope hastily spoke up. Flynn looked like he didn't believe her.

"What's really going on?"

Hope and Lancer started sweating madly. This wasn't going well at all. But they were saved by several shouts in the hallway.

"Please don't tell me it's a Yuri problem," Flynn sighed. "We'll talk later." With that, he and Estelle left the room.

"Now that we're alone, what happened after I blacked out!" Hope whispered to the spearman.

"Well..."

\- - -Flashback- - -

As the golem pulled back, bringing the sword with it, Caster cackled while Hope fell to the ground, drenched in blood.

Lancer grit his teeth. "You bitch!" He held Gae Bolg so the tip faced the ground, glowing red as mana swirled around it. Caster smirked and disappeared into a cloud of purple butterflies. Lancer's eyes widened and she reappeared behind him. A giant whitish-pink magic circle appeared in front of her. Lancer spun around just as Caster unleashed a giant blast of magic, sending the man flying back. Just as he got up, the familiars lunged at him, trying to cut him with their swords. Lancer used the red spear to block them, but Caster flew up, launching beam after beam of magic at him. He jumped back to avoid the onslaught, but one golem was waiting, raking the sword across his back. He blocked out the pain and cut through the bone monster. Caster, saving mana, didn't repair it. Instead, it vanished into dust.

The demigod faced Caster, jumping at her to cut the witch with Gae Bolg. Several beams of magic were launched at him. The man used his spear to block them, but a few got through, burning him. Once he was almost right in front of the woman, the knight used the spear to try stabbing Caster. But the magic circles vanished and a giant shield showed up in front of the woman. Lancer tried breaking the shield, but the backlash made his spear arm go back. The shield vanished and Caster kicked the man down, where the Dragon Tooth Warriors were. As he went down, Lancer held Gae Bolg under him, coming down on one golem and killing it. Several ran through the dust that was created, blocking Lancer's sight. Before he could react, he coughed out blood as several swords went through his abdomen.

* * *

Unknown to either Servant, a Knight saw the scene and informed the Commandant, who was escorting the princess to Zaphias.

"It sounds like a fight between guilds. We shouldn't get involved," Flynn said. Estelle looked at him.

"It sounds like one was badly injured. We should help!"

Flynn sighed. "We don't even know if they're on our side."

"It doesn't matter; We should help!"

"As you wish, Lady Estellise. If I don't help, you won't let me hear the end of it."

* * *

Lancer sliced off the heads of the golems that stabbed him, feeling warm blood soak his suit as the swords dissipated. Caster smiled as the magic circles appeared in front of her again.

Before she finished the demigod off, several arrows of light rained down on her and her familiars, killing the golems and distracting the mage. A blonde-haired man attacked the witch with several armored people. A girl with pink hair ran over to Hope, a yellow-green magic circle appearing under her.

"What are ya doing?!" the spearman demanded as he tried running over to protect his Master. But pain shot through him from the various wounds and he coughed up large amounts of blood, falling to his knees.

The girl glanced at him. "Don't push yourself! I'm Estelle, a healer."

Meanwhile, Caster saw she was greatly outnumbered and vanished into a bunch of butterflies. The blonde sheathed his sword and went over to Estelle, who was healing Hope.

"How is she?"

"She's lost a lot of blood, but there's no threat to her life, Flynn."

Making sure no one was looking, Lancer dematerialized Gae Bolg and struggled to his feet, going over to Estelle and Hope. "I'll take her."

"Not going to happen!" Estelle scolded, getting to her feet and fixing the man with a hard stare. "Both of you are going to the hospital in Zaphias Castle! You're badly injured as well!"

"An' who's gonna make me?!" the Irishman snapped back. Flynn chuckled.

"No point in arguing when she gets like that."

Lancer sighed. "Fine, whatever."

\- - -End Flashback- - -

"So Caster's still out there," Hope murmured.

"Sorry I didn't kill her," Lancer said to the woman.

Hope shook her head. "That doesn't matter. What does is that you're alive."

Lancer smirked. "Same with ya."

* * *

Sometimes, Yuri wanted to punch Flynn. One moment, he's paying the Knight, Estelle, and Raven a friendly visit, because the old man acted as a go-between for the Empire and the Union, and the next his friend is lecturing him, with Estelle and Raven trying to pretend this wasn't happening.

When Flynn stopped talking, Yuri groaned, "Done yet?"

"Were you even listening to me?!" Flynn fumed.

"Eh, somewhat."

Flynn sighed. "Unbelievable..." He looked up. "Putting that aside, we took in two people to be healed. One was wearing armor. At first, I thought he was one of the Knights, but I haven't seen any that look like him. I was hoping you and Raven could see if they're part of any guild."

Yuri rubbed the back of his head. "We'll see what we can come up with."

After leading the two men to the hospital, Flynn opened the door. Inside were two people Yuri and Raven had never seen before.

"If they're from any guild, it isn't one I've seen before," Raven said.

"Are you two from the Knights or the guilds?" Yuri asked.

The girl with silver hair glanced at the man in blue. "Umm, we're..."

Yuri huffed. "It's not that hard of a question."

Flynn leaned over to Yuri and whispered in his ear, "I have a feeling they aren't part of either."

"They don't look like commoners, though," Yuri whispered back.

"When I first saw them, they were fighting a woman I'd never seen before."

Flynn took a deep breath and talked normally. "We need to find out about them. Take them with you and see what you can find out.

"WHAT?!" Yuri and the two people exclaimed. Flynn continued.

"Brave Vesperia isn't as busy as we are, so it'll be easier for you guys."

Yuri grumbled curses and the girl in the bed didn't look happy.

"Why do Lancer and I have to go with them?!"

"We don't know where you guys came from," Flynn answered. "And since you won't answer, I'll have Brave Vesperia find out."

The girl gave Flynn the middle finger, and the man in blue, Lancer, laughed.

"Fine, whatever," Yuri sulked, crossing his arms and seeming to pout. As Lancer and the girl struggled to they're feet, following Yuri out the door, Flynn pulled Raven to the side before he left as well.

"There's something I want you to find out..."


	3. Chapter 3

A few days later, the group, minus Flynn, were waiting outside the castle. Yuri's dog, Repede, was also waiting. Lancer and Hope had asked Yuri who the woman in Deidon Hold was.

"That's Sodia," had been Yuri's reply. "She's a total cunt."

"It doesn't sound like ya think too well of her..." Lancer grumbled.

A few seconds of waiting, a giant flying whale holding a ship in its mouth by the ropes appeared, lowering the ship down in front of the group. Hope and Lancer stared nervously at the creature. Two girls and a boy got off it.

"Why's Rita here, Judy?" Yuri asked the girl with the purple-red eyes and the purple hair.

The girl giggled. "She made up some excuse that she wanted to see the two new people."

"It was NOT an excuse!" the girl with the brown hair, green eyes, and wearing red yelled. She glanced at Hope and Lancer. "And just who are the two of you?"

"I'm Hope and this is Lancer, my... friend."

"Meet Judith, Karol, and Rita," Yuri said, gesturing to each of the three in turn, the lady who spoke first, a boy with brown hair and eyes, and the second girl.

"An' that is..?" Lancer prompted, pointing at the whale.

"That's Ba'ul, an Entelexeia," Judith replied. She glanced at Lancer and instantly went to his side, wrapping her arms around the demigod. "I just love being protected by strong men like you."

Hope glowered and pried the Krityan off her Servant. "Lay off, will ya?!"

Judith smirked. "Are you two _more_ than friends?"

Hope blushed. "None of your business!"

Karol looked over at Judith. "What do you mean by that?"

Yuri walked over to the boat. "She's asking if they're an item."

* * *

"Where are we going?" Rita asked Yuri when everyone was on the boat.

"To Nor Harbor," he said. "There were reports of a strange man there."

Lancer and Raven were by Karol. The two were whispering to him.

"See if ya can find out Judith's cup size," Raven said to Karol. Lancer grinned.

"I'd say she's a D at least!"

Hope stormed over, overhearing the conversation. "You two are such _creeps_!" She unleashed a punch, but just at Raven.

Yuri went over to Judith, grinning. "They're totally dating."

Rita sighed. "Great. Lancer is a pervert as well." She held out one hand, a fire ball forming in it. "It look's like Hope's not likely to punish her boyfriend, though."

Hope turned red. "I said it's not like that!"

"We don't need you destroying the ship," Yuri told Rita. She huffed and the fire ball vanished.

"By the way, what continent are you two from?" Judith asked Lancer and Hope.

"I-I guess... t-this one..?" Hope stuttered.

Raven got up and crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. "What's it called?"

"And what's with those markings on your right hand?" Estelle asked.

Yuri glanced down at Repede, who was rubbing himself up against Lancer's leg. "I've hardly ever seen Repede be _that_ friendly. What's going on?"

Sweat rained down from Hope and Lancer. It was going to be hard to get out of this one.

Hope bit her lower lip and Lancer leaned over to her, whispering, "let's lie."

Hope let out a deep breath. "No. We may as well come clean."

"Come clean about what?" Rita asked.

"The truth is, we came from a different world."

The two waited for the others to express their doubt, but nothing like that happened.

"Eh, that's not too surprising," Yuri said. "We saw several weird things during our last journey."

Hope gestured to Lancer. "This is my lancer-class Servant. There are six others that we're fighting against." She held up her right hand, showing the others the back of it. "These are my Command Seals. They allow me to force my Servant to obey a specific order against their will or make them teleport somewhere. I started out with three, but now I'm down to two. As long as I have at least one, I can control my Servant."

"It'd be nice if she could control his behavior as well..." Rita grumbled.

"I take it the woman you two were fighting was a Servant as well?" Estelle asked.

"That's right. A caster-class Servant," Hope replied.

"An' what's the point of all this fightin'?" Raven asked.

Lancer answered. "To be the last pair left an' win the Holy Grail. 'Course our goal isn't as much winnin' the Grail as stayin' alive."

Karol cocked his head. "What's the Holy Grail?"

"It's a wish-granting device that only appears once one pair is left," Hope told him.

"So it's a fight to the death?" Rita summed up. "Sounds like Judith's kind of thing."

"Is she violent?" Lancer asked.

Yuri shuddered. "Let's just say she scares the shit out of all of us."

"Do you two know how to get back to your world?" Estelle asked, cocking her head.

"Unfortunately, no," Hope replied. "We went through a rip in the fabric of space. Is there anything like that in this world?"

Judith crossed her arms. "The closest would be Phaeraoh's Phantom Rift, but it only takes you to the illusion of Yormgen."

"The other mages and I could find a way to change it so it can take you to other worlds," Rita suggested.

"I could help since I'm a mage, too," Hope offered. Rita stared at her.

"How? I don't see any blastia on you."

Hope blinked a few times. "Blastia? What's that?"

Rita looked dumbfounded. "There aren't any blastia in your world?!"

Lancer leaned over to Raven, whispering, "what's her problem?"

"She's a total blastia freak," Raven whispered back.

A vein bulged on Rita's head. "I heard that! I am NOT a freak!"

Hope scratched the back of her head. "Sooooo, what the hell _are_ blastia?"

Rita huffed and turned back to the woman. "Blastia are essential for everyday life. They also let us use artes and magic."

Hope shrugged. "In our world, we can use magic and fend for ourselves without blastia."

"Are you trying to make this a contest?" Rita huffed.

Hope laughed. "Not really. Just saying I'm able to use magic on my own to protect myself."

"Don't forget my rune magic can also protect you, Master!" Lancer called out. Hope bristled.

"You know I hate it when you call me Master!"

"Master?" Yuri questioned.

"It's my status. And that idiot should know I feel weird being called that!" She shouted the last sentence right at Lancer.

Judith grinned. "Have you gotten to third base with that 'idiot' yet?"

Hope turned red. "None of your goddamn business!"

Lancer smirked and leaned over, whispering in Raven's ear. "We have. I can even tell ya what color panties she usually wears."

Hope's ear twitched. "Shut _up_!"

* * *

Ba'ul landed the group just outside Capua Nor. A man with blue hair, blue eyes, and a long katana strapped to his back was walking toward the town.

"That's Kojiro Sasaki!" Hope exclaimed.

"Who?" Rita asked.

"The assassin-class Servant," Lancer growled, summoning Gae Bolg. The rest of the group took out their weapons. "Wait! I'm sensing another Servant." At that moment, he jumped back, dodging several beams of magic. "What the hell?!"

"I have a feeling I know who that was..." Hope snarled. She whispered something to Rita. The next moment, a fire magic circle appeared under the Aspion mage.

"Fireball!" A giant ball of fire was launched at a nearby boulder, destroying it and revealing Caster.

"So you were able to find me," the witch grinned. "Kojiro!"

The samurai disappeared, leaving a few traces of dust in the air as he ran to the mage's side. Karol took a step back and Judith took a step forward, both raising their respective weapons.

"Why is Assassin with you?" Hope asked.

Medea giggled. "I made him my Servant again. And after what happened last time, I thought it might be better to keep him with me."

Yuri looked over at Hope, katana in front of him. "Can Servants have their own Servants?"

"Not ordinarily," Hope answered. "But I heard from Lancer that in the last war, Caster broke the rules and summoned a False Assassin."

Lancer's grip tightened on Gae Bolg. "I'll handle that bastard Assassin. The rest of you guys handle Caster."

Hope looked at him. "I should at least help you!"

"As a mage, you'll have a better chance against another mage like Caster."

Hope looked like she was about to protest, but shook her head. Raven shot an explosive arrow between the two enemy Servants to seperate them. Lancer ran at Assassin and the other eight went for Medea.

As the group attacked Caster as one, Lancer ducked as Assassin tried to take his head off with the long katana, using Gae Bolg to block its advance. While Yuri and Hope ran to each side of Medea as she flew up, Estelle used Force Field to block the cloaked mage's barrage of magic beams. At the same time, Yuri and Hope jumped up, swords raised over their heads to cut the witch. Caster smirked and disappeared into a cloud of butterflies, making both attacks hit air. Just as Caster reappeared a little further back, Judith grinned and teleported above her, using Moonbeam. The attack brought the witch down, but that was all. Repede growled and used Hell Hound Return, dashing into the mage and jumped up, launching a fire ball. Medea created a shield to block the fire.

"Sharpness!" Estelle called out as Karol charged at the witch, ax gaining more power. He swung it at the shield. At the same time, the others bashed to shield with artes and magic, Repede using Ghost Wolf, Raven using Rain, Yuri using Cerberus Strike, Rita using Flame Dragon, Judith using Luna Storm, and Hope launching a circle of blue magic beams, eventually succeeding in shattering it.

Hope looked over to Lancer's fight when she felt a spray of warm liquid hit her face. Assassin's sword went through the spearman's chest, some blood dripping from his chin. Caster noticed Hope's attention had switched to her Servant and she grinned, taking out Rule Breaker.

"I'll make your Servant mine!" Medea cried out, going for the Master. Judith and Repede, the two fastest party members, charged at the witch. Hope spun around, seeing Medea hold up Rule Breaker, ready to stab the mage.

Judith crouched and kicked her foot in a sweeping motion. As Medea fell back from being tripped, Repede ran up and used Cyclone Shot, taking the mage into the air. Yuri yanked Hope away and Estelle used Holy Lance, knocking her back to the ground while Rita used Meteor Storm.

Medea panted as she got back up again, robe in tatters and blood running down her face. A circle of dust surrounded her as the Dragon Tooth Warriors rose up.

"Those things again!" Estelle gasped.

"She's low on mana, so she won't be able to reinforce them as well," Hope pointed out. A magic circle appeared under Estelle and Rita as the others held off the numerous attacks from the golems. Hope, Yuri, and Judith cut down several with their weapons. Karol used Destruction Street and Raven fired several arrows to take out several rows. Repede went into Overlimit and used Divine Dog-Tremble to kill several more.

Estelle finished casting. "Holy Rain!" The arrows of light rained down and eliminated the rest of the familiars.

Rita finished casting as well. "Demon's Lance!" The dark blade shot down at Caster, impaling the witch through the middle as blood splattered behind her.

* * *

While the fighting between Medea and the others was going on, a slash from Assassin's katana left a shallow cut in Lancer's right arm. Lancer shot at Assassin with blinding speed, swinging Gae Bolg downward at the spirit. Assassin held his katana up, blocking the strike. He pushed Cu Chulainn back with it. He started stabbing at the enemy with his spear. Kojiro blocked several then jumped back at the last one.

"Aside from the start of this fight, all you've been doin' is blockin' my spear," the knight smirked. He put both hands on Gae Bolg's shaft, pulling it back slightly for an attack. Kojiro held his katana up just as Lancer charged at him, thrusting with the spear more powerfully and faster than before. The samurai jumped straight up, avoiding the attack. He held the katana over his head. As he came down, he slashed downward. Cu Chulainn held Gae Bolg sideways and up, deflecting the strike. The force of it made his feet sink into the ground, creating a crater around him.

"You aren't going to use your Noble Phantasm?" Assassin questioned, landing a few meters away from Lancer.

Lancer chuckled. "If I take Hope's mana while she's fightin' an' without her permission, she'll get pissed at me fer usin' mana she may need."

Assassin blinked. "It sounds like you have a difficult Master. If Caster uses Rule Breaker on you, you can be free of her."

Lancer grinned like a wolf. "Sorry, but I kinda like her personality. Even without my Noble Phantasm, I can still take ya down!"

Kojiro raised his sword. "I'd like to see you try!" He disappeared as he ran at blinding speeds at the demigod. Ch Chulainn did the same, the two reappearing in the middle, the katana grinding against the shaft of Gae Bolg. Lancer kicked at the samurai. The Servant flipped back over the kick. As Assassin did that, Lancer jumped up, falling diagonally at the swordsman, tip of the spear pointed at the enemy. Kojiro leapt back, his feet landing on the side of a boulder. He sprung, tip of his katana aimed at Lancer. He tried using the tip of Gae Bolg against it to throw the attack off, but as the tip met the sword, sparks flew as the katana slid past the red spear and into Lancer's chest. Blood splattered against the samurai's face.

"B-Bastard..!" Lancer grit out, slashing diagonally with his spear. Kojiro jumped back to avoid it, bringing the katana with him and causing red splotches on the ground as blood flew from the sword. Lancer let out a few wet coughs. At least the attack missed his core.

Assassin brought his right foot behind him, holding the katana sideways and to the right. As Lancer charged forward to land at least one blow on the samurai, the man struck.

"Ultimate... Swallow Reversal!" Lancer managed to block the one visible slash, but the other two tore into him, his right hip and the left side of his chest respectively. As the knight fell, a puddle of blood forming around him, Assassin smirked. "I'd suppose I should go help that vixen." But as he turned, a sharp pain tore though him, blood leaking from the corners of his mouth. Looking down, he saw Gae Bolg's tip poking through his chest, going through his core.

Assassin coughed out a large amount of blood (More like threw it up) and looked behind him. Lancer was holding the end with one quivering arm. "As if... a few scratches... would kill me..!" Lancer yanked Gae Bolg to the side, ripping a large gash through Assassin's chest and freeing itself through the right side.

Kojiro fell to his hands and knees, blood falling from his mouth and chest. As blue flecks of mana drifted from his body, Assassin smirked. "It's impressive... even with... those wounds... you were... still able to... take me down..."

After Assassin said that, he vanished into little specks of mana.

* * *

As Caster vanished, Hope glanced over at Lancer. He was lying in a pool of red, holding Gae Bolg out but his arm was now on the ground.

"Cu Chulainn!" she shouted, running over to his side. She fell to her knees as she flipped him over, holding his head in her lap. The others ran over to where Hope was.

Estelle covered her mouth with both hands in horror. "Oh my..!"

Tears fell from Hope's eyes. "At this rate, he'll die... Estelle! Help him!"

Estelle nodded hurriedly, going to her knees and using healing artes.

Judith crossed her arms, brow furrowing. "With the amount of blood he's lost, he should be dead already."

"A Servant's amount of mana is what matters, not blood. But he won't last long at the rate he's losing his, even with Battle Continuation," Hope murmured.

As his body flickered, Estelle looked up at Hope. "His wounds are too deep! He'll die before I can close them!" A howl sounded and Ba'ul landed the ship.

"I called him here," Judith explained. "Get him on the ship so we can patch him up!"

The group got Lancer on the Fiertia and laid him down on the cabin's bed.

"Everyone else leave!" Hope exclaimed. "I'm gonna have to perform a mana transfer on him!"

"A what?" Yuri questioned. Hope grit her teeth, whispering in Yuri's ear she needs to have sex with him. Yuri reared back. He turned to the other adult and made to sex gesture with his fingers.

"Karol an' Rita! Ya definitely hafta go!" Raven suddenly shouted after Yuri was done.

"But why?" Karol asked. Raven turned the two children around, pushing them out of the cabin.

"Adult stuff! You'll learn when yer older!"

As the others followed, Karol's voice could still be heard.

"She's just healing him! What about it can't we see?"


	4. Chapter 4

About an hour later on the ship, Yuri, Raven, Rita, and Judith were getting impatient.

"How long does it take to transfer mana?!" Yuri grumbled. "It was an urgent situation, so it shouldn't have taken this long!"

"I'm going to see what's taking them so long!" Rita huffed, heading for the cabin. Yuri's eyes widened.

"Rita! You shouldn't do that in case they're not done!"

Rita put her hand on the doorknob. "Not done doing what? I don't see what the problem is." She opened the door, and the sight she was met with she couldn't unsee.

Lancer was awake, though a couple wounds were still oozing blood, but that didn't stop them. Hope's clothes were strewn all over the floor. BOTH Servant and Master were completely naked, with part of Lancer's... anatomy inside Hope and his hands over her breasts. She was on top of him, moving up and down, having both hands on the firm muscles of his chest.

Rita's jaw dropped. "What. In. The. World?!"

Hope turned to Rita, golden eyes wide and face imitating a tomato. "Oh fuck!"

Yuri grabbed Rita, pulled her away hurriedly, and slammed the door.

A few minutes later, the two came out, fully clothed, and Hope as red as a beet. Everyone else was staring at the two.

Lancer scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. After I woke up, we got carried away."

"Sorry, Rita," Hope said. Rita was red and still gaping like a fish. Raven smirked.

"I would've loved ta be Rita!"

Hope glared at him, but was still red from being caught. "You. Are. A. Freak!"

"U-Um, I take it everything went well?" Estelle asked awkwardly.

Lancer beamed a smile, not fazed at all by the idea of a 15-year-old seeing him nail his Master. "Yup! I've got a refill of mana!"

Judith crept over to Hope and leaned over to her ear so she could whisper in it, grinning. "How big is it?"

Hope snapped her head over to the Krityan. "None of your business, you whore!"

Karol looked around at the adults. "What did Rita see?"

* * *

Later in the day, the group was eating at Capua Nor's inn, though things were still a touch awkward, especially for Hope and Rita. Though he didn't need to, eating was a habit for Lancer. Same with sleeping.

Eager to distract the two from what Rita walked into, Yuri asked, "what other Servants will we be up against?"

"Four left. Saber, Berserker, Archer, an' Rider," Lancer replied. "It seems even though they're Corrupted, the Servants seem to have the same personalities. So Archer will still be a total asshole."

"I take it you don't like him?" Estelle inquired.

"Kinda. After our first fight in the 5th war an' after he abandoned Rin, he pisses me off. The hardest ones will probably be Saber an' Berserker."

"And considering how high their luck is, Gae Bolg may not work," Hope put in. "It would work on Servants the same poor luck as you, like Rider and Archer."

Lancer grinned widely and wrapped one arm around Hope's shoulders. "At least my luck ain't as bad when it comes to the ladies!" Hope didn't comment.

"I take it his luck is bad?" Judith asked.

Hope nodded. "Even though he's Irish, his luck sucks." When she got a bunch of blank stares, Hope continued. "Oh right. Because you guys are from this world, most of my references will go right over your heads. Lancer's a complete gigolo, though."

"Kinda like the old man," Rita put in. "Though I don't think Lancer qualifies as an 'old man' yet. A creep, sure."

Hope chuckled. "Don't let his youthful appearance fool you. He's _ancient_!"

Several shocked stares. "He sure doesn't look it!" Yuri exclaimed.

"He's around 1,900 years old."

Lancer pretended to pout. "You make me sound old as dirt."

"How is he still alive?!" Raven demanded.

"He's dead already. The Holy Grail brought him back as a spirit," Hope told him.

"One thing that's been bugging me," Rita started, "most of the time, you call him 'Lancer'. But earlier today, you called him 'Cu Chulainn'. What's the deal with the name thing? Is it right to call him Lancer?"

"His name's Cu Chulainn," Hope said. "Now, he mostly goes by Lancer, his class name."

Yuri smirked. "Like how we call Raven Old Man."

Raven glowered at Yuri. "Will ya shut up?!"

* * *

Afterwards, the group split up to ask around for info on where the other Servants were, though Repede went with Yuri. Lancer was reluctant to let his Master go on her own.

"But I should go with you to protect you!" Lancer had whined.

"I'm able to take care of myself!" Hope had insisted.

Lancer bit his lower lip. "Fine. But use a Command Seal if you run into trouble."

Judith giggled. "He's so worried about his girlfriend."

"It's not like that!" Hope shouted.

"What about on the ship?" That shut Hope up. Rita blushed and turned away. Karol just looked confused as to what happened.

Hope went into the field outside of town, searching the remains of the battle for clues. Ba'ul had flown off elsewhere to rest.

' _Are you okay?_ ' Hope nearly jumped out of her skin.

' _Don't be a stalker! You scared me!_ '

' _Sorry 'bout that. I just wanted to check up on ya._ '

' _Don't worry, I'm fine. If I'm in trouble, I'll use a Command Seal like you said._ '

In the middle of her telepathic argument with her Servant, she almost didn't see the golden sword swinging at her. She jumped back, but the attack left a shallow cut in her left arm.

"Once we didn't hear from Caster or Assassin, we knew something had to be up, though I was the only one sent to verify you and Lancer were here," Saber said. "Get your Servant here!"

Hope didn't want Lancer to get hurt again. On the other hand, she would be so dead if she didn't. Saber swung Excalibur again and Hope jumped up, firing a blue beam of magic at the king. Saber used her sword to block the attack and Hope took out hers, bringing it down on the blade. Saber swung her sword, throwing the mage back.

' _What's goin' on?! Yer mana is active!_ '

Hope jumped to the side as Saber flew at her, swinging the sword. As she landed, Saber was right in front of her and cut a large gash over Hope's abdomen. ' _Nothing's wrong!_ '

' _Liar! Ya promised to call me if there was trouble!_ '

' _I just don't want you to get hurt! Fuck, this hurts!_ '

' _Yer wounded?! First, it's a Servant's duty to protect their Master. Second, call me RIGHT NOW!_ '

' _Okay, okay! Don't yell!_ ' As Saber swung Excalibur at Hope, trying to take her head off, the second part of the hourglass on her right hand faded. Lancer appeared and blocked the strike with the shaft of Gae Bolg. Lancer used the spear to push Saber back and turned his head to look at Hope.

"Okay, I'm a little pissed ya didn't call me right away and got hurt. If you get killed, it's curtains fer me too. Now, find Estelle an' get that healed."

"Fine. Take as much of my mana as you need. I'll tell the others what's happening."

As Hope left, Lancer charged, stabbing at Saber with his spear. Saber swung down with her sword, knocking the tip down, and going on it, thrusting at Lancer with Excalibur. Lancer ducked in time and kicked the girl off. He went at the knight, thrusting his spear forward. Saber used the flat of her sword to block, the tip of Gae Bolg stopped on the surface. She forced the spear to the side and hit the demigod in the gut with the sword's pommel, making him double over. He jumped back just as Saber tried cutting his face.

"Sorry, but I can't have ya messin' up my good looks. I need 'em fer the ladies!" Lancer said, grinning.

* * *

Back in town, Hope had found Estelle and the princess was treating the wound.

"How did this happen?!" she demanded.

"I got in a scrap with Saber. I used a Command Seal to make Lancer teleport to me. He's holding her off right now."

"We have to tell the others!"

"I already informed Yuri and he's gonna gather everyone else to help Lancer," Hope told her.

"How strong is Saber?" Estelle asked.

"Pretty strong. Lancer doesn't stand a chance at her full power."

"Aren't you worried about him?"

"Kinda. But even he wouldn't do something totally stupid."

* * *

After Saber knocked Lancer to the ground, she held up her sword, golden mana flowing up into the blade. Lancer knew he needed to get the hell out of the way if he wanted to survive.

"Ex... calibur!" Saber shouted, swinging the sword down. Lancer jumped to the right of the golden blast, but his left arm got caught in it and was cut up severely. The arm hung limp at his side, covered in blood and bits of his sleeve. Saber shot out at him and Lancer hurriedly held up Gae Bolg to block, but the sword easily knocked the spear away, cutting Lancer across the chest. She punched the still-sore cut on Lancer's hip, making him wince, and swung the sword again, aiming for his neck.

A ball of fire hit her, slightly singing her dress and making her stop her attack as she looked to the side where the attack had come from. Repede was suddenly in front of the king as he plowed into her. As the knight was knocked back several meters, Judith teleported over the girl and launched an arrow of energy down. Saber jumped to the right, but Raven was waiting, using Just Like Dancing. Karol distracted her with Rending Drop while Yuri used Frigid Blast. Rita used Ivy Rush to drive the knight back while Yuri used Azure Storm and Repede used Shining Fang right after. While Saber was in the air, Judith used Luna Rondo.

Saber grit her teeth. Her dress was cut up, revealing numerous bleeding wounds. As the group attacked, she covered her sword with Invisible Air and released it, creating a smokescreen that made the ones attacking cover their eyes. When the dust cleared, Saber was gone.

"What a coward," Yuri spat, sheathing his sword. He glanced at Lancer. "Please tell me you don't have to do a mana transfer that Rita'll walk in on."

Lancer laughed. "There's no danger to my life, so we don't." Rita shivered at the memory of the last "mana transfer." "How's Hope?"

"Estelle's seeing to her," Yuri replied. "But I think how you are is more important."

"I'll live," Lancer told him.

* * *

Hope saw the light from Excalibur, so she was relieved to see Lancer was alive.

"Saber got away," Lancer reported. Hope hugged him.

"What matters is that you're alive."

"So ya don't care if we die?" Raven asked.

"I doubt anyone would notice right away if _you_ die," Rita huffed.

Raven pouted. "How cold."

Estelle glanced at the group. "Other than Lancer, any injuries?"

The others shook their heads as Estelle started healing Lancer's arm. Hope looked at her right hand. Just the circle was left. If she uses it, she'll lose authority over Lancer. She had to use it when she really needs it.


	5. Chapter 5

**This is based off the How I Met Your Mother episode Ted Mosby: Architect.**

* * *

A few days later, the group went to Dahngrest. Hopefully some guild people would have information about the Servants on the Ilyccian continent. Hope went to check on the group, but all the boys were gone.

"Where are the guys?" Hope asked.

"They went to a bar for a bite to eat," Rita replied, pointing with her thumb to the west tavern. "I'm sure Lancer and Raven are planning to pick up chicks."

As Hope crossed her arms, Judith giggled. "Lancer seems to switch girlfriends often."

"He can do as he pleases!" Hope huffed. "Just as long as he doesn't get to second or third base with any random skanks!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I told ya I'm with Hope!" Lancer snarled at Raven. They were sitting at the main counter, getting drinks with Yuri. Karol was getting girls for Raven and Repede was lapping at a bowl of milk. "She'll kill me if I have a one-night stand!"

Raven grinned. "It'll be fine if she doesn't find out."

Yuri facepalmed. "Uh-oh..."

"Jus' tell 'em 'bout the fact yer a fighter!" Raven said.

Lancer glanced at him. "Ya think that'll work?"

Raven chuckled. "Yer in a bar full of drunk girls! Of course it'll work!"

Yuri grabbed his drink and stood up. "I can tell this won't end well. I'm leaving."

Raven grabbed his arm and pulled the swordsman back down. "We can't have ya blabbin' ta Hope or Rita 'bout what we're doin'."

Yuri glanced at the archer. "I think I should before they find out themselves."

Raven smiled. "An' they'll get mad at ya too fer not tryin' harder ta stop us."

Yuri cursed under his breath and settled down in the seat. Lancer saw a girl sitting with a man. He went over to her and the girl glanced over. She had brown hair and eyes. "Are you two datin'?"

"No. This is my brother," the girl replied.

"What if I told ya I'm a fighter...?"

* * *

The girls went into the bar to eat something (though Hope and Judith just wanted to get drunk.) Inside, Yuri, Raven, Lancer, and Repede were gone. After they went up to the counter to order, Karol went up to the girls.

"I was helping Raven get girls, but when I went back the men and Repede were gone!"

Rita crossed her arms. "Sounds like the old man's up to his usual tricks."

"And Lancer is being Lancer," Hope sighed. A nearby man glanced at her.

"Did you say Lancer? That fighter took my sis out on a date. 'Bout time she found someone!"

"HE WHAT?!" Hope shouted.

\- - -Flashback- - -

"You were involved in war?!" the girl exclaimed.

Lancer grinned. "Would this body lie?" He pulled his shirt up to reveal his toned muscles, as well as a few scars.

\- - -End Flashback- - -

"I'd expect that move from the old man, but you did mention Lancer's a skirt-chaser," Rita said.

"Did he say where he was going?!" Hope demanded. She was fuming.

"He said someone for Nor Harbor invited him to a party at the inn here," the man said.

Judith grinned evilly. "If you catch him in the act, you have justification for beating the living shit out of him."

As soon as Hope got her drink, she downed it in rage. She contacted her Servant in her mind.

 _'Where the hell are you?!'_

 _'Jus' askin' fer info on the Servants. Why?'_

 _'Nothing!'_ She scowled at her glass. "He just lied to me!"

"You gonna get that douchebag?" Judith asked.

Hope started snarling. "I will. And I'll punch him into next week!"

* * *

At the inn, it wasn't hard to find the room where the party was going on with the ruckus. As soon as Hope practically kicked the door down, the girls, minus Karol, who went back to the ship, were stopped by a man.

"Invitations?"

"We don't have any," Hope replied. "Is a cheater here?"

The man scratched his head. "I'm afraid you'd have to be more specific."

Judith grinned. "She's looking for Lancer, her boyfriend. He's with a girl and they were supposed to be here." For once, Hope was too angry at Lancer to hear the Krityan.

The man's face lit up. "Yup, Lancer was here."

\- - -Flashback- - -

The girl stroked Lancer's arm. "Your last girlfriend dumped you? You poor thing!"

"Ever since that happened, it's been hard to trust anyone enough to start a relationship," Lancer replied. Nearby, Yuri rolled his eyes.

\- - -End Flashback- - -

"I'm going to _kill_ him!" Hope growled, hands balling into fists. While Rita tried to get Hope to calm down, Estelle turned to the man.

"If they're not here, where did the boys and that girl go?"

"Lancer said something about going to a special going down at the east bar."

* * *

At the bar, there was a long line. The girls went right up to the bouncer out front.

"I'm looking for a cheating motherfucker named Lancer. Did he and a total skank go in?" Hope asked while gritting her teeth, trying to hold in her anger.

The man looked up at the girls. "Oh yeah, Lancer was here. He's not anymore, though."

\- - -Flashback- - -

Outside, an enthusiastic Lancer was giving the girl a piggyback ride. Repede was sitting outside the bar with Yuri.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he demanded, crossing his arms.

"Enjoyin' life!" he said. He and the girl whooped.

Yuri narrowed his eyes. "Don't you think a certain someone will get mad when they find out?"

"Eh, what do I care?" was Lancer's reply. He looked at the girl on his back. "Off to yer place!"

\- - -End Flashback- - -

Hope was too pissed to talk. Her face was completely red with anger and Judith laughed at this.

Rita looked at the man. "Do you know where he is right now?"

"I know they were going to her place, and she lives in an apartment, but I don't know where," the man said. The girls were about to call it quits, and Hope swore to murder Lancer in the morning, when a bark grabbed their attention. Repede came over, gazing at Hope.

"Repede probably knows where to find Lancer!" Estelle exclaimed.

"A dog?" Hope was doubtful. Estelle fixed her with a hard stare.

"Repede's smarter than he looks, and he could probably sniff down Lancer."

"Fine. I'll see where he leads us," Hope sighed.

* * *

Once Repede led the girls into an apartment, they chased after him as he ran up a couple flights of stairs and down a hall. Hope was muttering every curse under the sun.

"Why don't you use a Command Seal to call him?" Estelle asked.

"I only have one left. Besides, if I find him cheating on me, I'll use it to force him to commit suicide!" Hope snarled. She forced the door to the room Repede stopped at open. It was completely dark and Hope could hear water from a shower running nearby. Looking a bit ahead of her, she saw a bed. All she saw was a male foot on it.

"There he is!" Rita whispered. Hope stomped over to a wall, the other girls and Repede following. She found a light switch and flipped it. Light filled the room as mana went to the blastia for lights.

"Lancer! What are you- -?!" Hope demanded then stopped. On the bed wasn't Lancer. It was also a creeper, but he had tan skin, blue eyes, and black hair that was out of its ponytail. One arm was tied to a pole by what looked like a piece of cloth.

"Raven?!" Estelle exclaimed. Raven looked over.

"Good! I need someone with long nails to get this off!"

Hope was trying to process this. "Where's Lancer?"

\- - -Flashback- - -

At the bar, Lancer was talking to the girl.

"I have a girlfriend, an' she'll kill me if I don't get more info on our enemies," Lancer said, getting up and leaving. As he did, Raven went over to the girl.

"That was my partner. He helps some, but I do most of the fightin'," Raven told her.

"I love tough men," the girl said. "What's your name?"

Raven looked back to make sure the demigod was gone before turning back to the girl. "Lancer. I was in the Great War."

The rest of the night had gone just the way the girls had been told, but with Raven instead of Lancer. Yuri had gone into the east bar.

\- - -End Flashback- - -

"Why not use your real name?!" Hope questioned once Raven was free. "This entire time, I thought my Servant was cheating on me!"

Raven was getting his clothes back on. "My name is well-known here an' it's common knowledge I'm a pervert."

Rita put her hands on her hips. "Your conquest sent us all over the city!"

Raven grinned. "It was worth it."

Judith crossed her arms. "So your plan was to sleep with her and never see her again?"

"Like I'm gonna settle down an' commit!"

Hope pinched the bridge of her nose. "So Lancer _was_ trying to get info on the whereabouts of the other Servants."

"He was. If ya jump on every little thing he does, he'll really leave ya."

"I only did this because I thought he was cheating on me for some bimbo!"

Raven flashed the woman a grin. "Good thing it was me, huh?"

Hope glared at him. "Not really. This was a complete waste of time." It was meant for Lancer, but since he wasn't being a cheating bastard, Hope beat the shit out of Raven instead.


	6. Chapter 6

**This is a flashback for when Hope joined the war.**

* * *

Hope first learned about the Holy Grail War two years ago while she was in England at the Mage's Association, in the library to study up on the world's different customs. Some students like her got what it entails. Every sixty years, seven mages, each employing a Servant, would be chosen to fight for Heaven's Feel in Fuyuki. The winning duo would win the Grail and could have any wish granted. It was almost time for the sixth. However, many students lost interest after learning it was a fight to the death. Only Hope was interested.

Though the Ledt family were friends with the Tohsaka family, they weren't very famous as a mage family. Hope was interested in a wish, just in making the Ledts famous. From that moment, she devoted all her time into studying magic so the Grail would choose her.

A teacher there, Rin Tohsaka, was one of the two winners in the last war. Even while being married to the other winner, Shirou Emiya, she only kept her last name while she was around other mages, to show her status. Though she seemed to hate the Grail for some reason, she supported Hope for wanting just to win and didn't plan on having a wish for the Grail to grant.

"You don't need a wish!" the old mage had said. "You should just win it so no one else does!"

Hope cocked her head. "What's wrong with the Grail granting wishes?"

Rin looked into the distance and glowered. "Something that happened to Shirou during the end of the fourth, and what almost happened during the fifth. I'll just tell you this: nothing good comes of any wish fed into Heaven's Feel. It's better to destroy it once it's won."

"Why not have that advice passed to people participating in future Grail Wars through a teaching at the Mage's Association?"

Rin shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, the prospect of having any wish granted would be too great for anyone to listen."

Hope decided not to press her for details on what happened at the end of the fifth war. It seemed to disturb the old teacher.

For the next two years, Rin drilled the woman on different magic techniques, the different classes of Servants, the incantation to summon one, and what was required for the summoning.

"You need an artifact related to the hero you wish to summon," Rin told her.

"What was yours?"

"Archer. But to sum up his personality, he's a complete and utter dick. He didn't respect my authority and did his own thing during the fighting. But he worked hard and tried to correct any mistakes he made during his first life."

"Should I summon him?"

Rin shook her head. "You shouldn't. He's at peace now and shouldn't be disturbed." She reached into her pocket and held that hand out in front of Hope. In it was a single silver earring. "This is a relic related to the Irish hero, Cu Chulainn. Use this to summon him."

As Hope took it, she glanced at Rin. "Where'd you get it?"

A blush formed on Rin's cheeks and she started sweating madly. "From places!"

Here's how she got it:

After the fifth war ended, Rin was haunted by Lancer's final words.

"Come see me again when yer older."

Her mind snapped and she wasn't thinking clearly with what she did next. She broke into Bazett's house and stole the artifact she'd used to summon Lancer. She wasn't proud of it, but now she had the means to summon him in the next war.

It didn't look like she would be chosen at her age, so she wanted him to live again because of someone else.

* * *

Afterwords, she took a plane to Fuyuki, Japan. She had a house when she lived there for a short time. The next day, all her hard work paid off when her Command Seals appeared on the back of her right hand. Eager to summon her Servant right away, she went outside. The other day, she bought bags of animal blood at a pound from animals that had to be put down. In her back yard, she used the blood to create the summoning circle in front of a rock. She placed the earring on the rock. She stepped just outside of the circle and held out her right hand.

"For the elements silver and iron, the foundation of stone, and the Archduke of Pacts, and for my great master, Schweinorg, close the four gates and come forth from the crown leading to the kingdom. Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Repeat five times, but when each is filled destroy it. Set. Heed my words: my will creates your body and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason then answer me. I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world, that I shall defeat all evil in the world. Seventh heaven clad in the great words of power, from the binding circle, thou guardian of the scales!"

The energy coming from it was so intense that Hope had to shield her face, her silver hair whipping around. A giant cloud of steam suddenly appeared in the middle of the circle. When it cleared, there was a man in blue with long, blue hair in a gold clasp. He opened his red, cat-like eyes and looked at Hope.

"Are you my Master?" he asked. He glanced at Hope's Command Seals on her right hand, She slowly lowered her arms from her face. Her hair was a train wreck, but she didn't seem to notice. All her attention was on the man before her.

"I-I guess..." Hope was too awestruck to answer his question with confidence. All that changed when the man smirked, stepping forward to pull Hope in for a kiss. She made a few muted noises and placed both hands on the hero's chest, pushing him away. "What the hell?!"

The Servant grinned, revealing two rows of straight, white teeth. Two fangs seemed to stick out. "Jus' gettin' friendly with ya, Master."

Hope wiped off her lips. "First, call me Hope instead of Master. Hearing it makes me feel weird. Second, YOU KISSED ME! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"

The man chuckled. "Yer a girl, an' a pretty one at that, so I couldn't help myself."

Hope tried to keep herself from ripping her Servant apart right away. "Ugh! So what are you?"

He pointed to himself proudly with his left thumb. "I'm Cu Chulainn, a lancer-class Servant, so ya should call me Lancer."

Hope had a sidelong glance. "Rin left out the part where he's a total creep," she muttered. Lancer's eyes widened.

"Rin?! She's here?!"

Hope looked back at the demigod. "She's in England. Do you know her?"

Lancer grinned. "Durin' the fifth war, Archer ditched her, so I allied myself with her an' Shirou to take out Caster."

Hope put her hands on her hips. "I have a feeling you wanted her to be your Master. Sorry, but you're stuck with me as your Master."

"I'm jus' happy I got a female Master. I was summoned by one the last time, but she was killed by Kirei Kotomine by the fourth day an' he became my Master. I hope we'll be datin' by the end of this one. I learned from the Grail this is the sixth, correct?"

"It is. And we'll just be friends, not a couple."

Lancer's face fell. "Yer a killjoy, ya know that? So what's yer wish if ya win the Holy Grail?"

"I don't have one."

"Ya don't?! Then why are ya in this?!"

"I just want to make sure no one else get's the Grail in this war."

Lancer sighed, dropping his head as he did so. "Can't say I expected that. But then again, I'm not one to talk. I'm jus' in this to be able to fight again."

* * *

A few days later, after Lancer had told Hope more about himself, Hope noticed a strange gray-black circle on the right side of his neck. It was small, but stood out from his pale skin.

"Was that always there?" Lancer went over to a mirror to see what she meant.

"I wonder what this is."

As the days passed, the mark slowly grew. After a couple weeks, it covered most of his neck and a little over his chin.

"We probably have to do something about this," Hope fret when she looked at the area again.

Lancer glanced at her. "How? We don't even know what it is!"

As Hope went outside to clear her head, she noticed Lancer was following her.

"What are you doing?"

"A Servant has to protect their Master."

"I'm just going into the yard! Nothing will happen!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Lancer wrapped his left arm around his Master's waist and pulled her back. Something dropped down where Hope had been, breaking the ground and throwing dust up in a cloud over the spot. When it cleared, a man wearing blue-purple robes stood up, holding a long katana to his right. Blue eyes seemed to bore into Hope and Lancer. Like the latter, he had gray-black on his skin, but it covered his entire body.

"Kojiro Sasaki," Lancer growled. Hope's eyes widened.

"Wasn't he the Assassin from the last war?!"

"Yeah, Caster broke the rules an' summoned him." Lancer held out his right hand and Gae Bolg appeared in it. He pulled Hope against his body and pointed the tip of his spear at the samurai. "Stay back, Assassin!"

Assassin smirked. "Just abandon your Master and join us."

Lancer grit his teeth. "Why in the world would I do that?!" Hope wrapped her arms around her Servant, holding him tight and praying he would protect her. She was skilled with magic, but she knew she didn't stand a chance by herself against a Servant. With Lancer, maybe, but it was better to go against a mage-Servant, like Caster.

Assassin lowered his weapon. "You have been marked by the Corruption we all share from the Holy Grail. It's only natural you'd join us."

"What's the point?!" Lancer demanded. "Without a Master, I'd disappear!"

Assassin chuckled. To Lancer, it sounded more demonic like his voice. "We are all without Masters, but the Holy Grail summoned us and feeds us the mana we need. It gifted us with the Corruption."

Lancer lowered his head and raised Gae Bolg higher. "Corruption? What the hell are ya talkin' 'bout?!"

Assassin pointed to Lancer's neck. "That's what it is. If you don't side with the Grail before it completely covers you, you'll die. You're connection to it creates the Corruption."

"Doesn't sound like a gift if it makes me part with my Master!"

"It won't matter to you once you've joined with the Grail and accept the Corruption."

"Yer out of yer mind!" Lancer snarled. "I'd rather die!"

Assassin raised the katana again. "Then die."

As he jumped at the spearman, the demigod grabbed Hope tightly and jumped to the left of the strike. He set Hope down. He jumped at Assassin, red spear ready to cut him. A roar sounded and Berserker appeared over the knight, skin gray-black, and kicked him down, creating a crater as he smashed into the ground. As Berserker came down, he swung his ax below him, aiming to slice Cu Chulainn in half. As Lancer lifted his head from the rubble, he held the shaft of his spear out, blocking the strike. Assassin charged at the Servant while he was distracted. Hope fired a few energy blasts at Berserker. They didn't harm him, but they succeeded in tilting the giant so he fell to his side in Kojiro's path. The samurai jumped back at the last second.

Lancer staggered to his feet. "Are all of ya Corrupted?!" Berserker got up and shook the dust from his hair.

A chuckle came from behind Hope. "Indeed."

Just as Caster fired a beam of magic at Hope's back, Lancer grabbed her in a flash of speed and pulled her away. A magic circle flew to Caster's side, aimed at Lancer. The demigod jumped back in time to avoid the shot of magic. As he skid to a stop, Rider jumped out behind him, throwing one of he daggers. Lancer panicked, turning around and using his spear to deflect the strike. Rider moved the chain to the side and the knife came at Lancer again in a sweeping motion. As Lancer ducked, several arrows flew at him. He turned and spun his spear to knock away the arrows. Just then, Saber appeared in front of him, thrusting out her sword to stab him. Lancer jumped up and as he came back down, his feet landed on the blade. He kicked the knight away and Berserker charged, swinging his ax. Lancer tried to block, but the force behind it was more than he could handle. He was knocked to the side several meters away. Rider jumped over the downed demigod and threw her dagger. Lancer rolled out of the way in time, leaving the dagger to hit the ground with such force it created a crater, throwing chunks of dirt in the air. Assassin and Archer each appeared in front of Lancer, swinging their swords. He was cut ligthy across the chest as he jumped back.

"This is brutal!" Hope exclaimed. Lancer made Gae Bolg vanish and traced a rune in the air.

"Ansuz!" The fire temporarily blinded the two Servants in front of him as Lancer dashed away with his Master. Once he was a good distance away, he set Hope down. Right after, he fell to his knees, one hand on his forehead.

"Are you okay?" Hope asked.

"Yeah... Just a little tired..." The Corruption on his neck grew a little.

"We have to do something about this," she breathed, putting her left hand over the spot.

A pair of red eyes locked on her. "We can't. As long as I'm connected to the Grail, this'll remain."

Hope bit her lip. It was only a matter of time before the Corruption killed her Servant. However, if he wasn't connected to the Grail...

She bent down to her Servant. "What if I broke your connection to the Grail?" Lancer stared at her like she just told him to jump off a cliff.

"Are ya fuckin' nuts?! It's near impossible to do that! Even if ya can, my connection to ya will vanish an' I'll disappear!"

"Don't worry. I have an idea..."

* * *

At night, the two snuck back to Hope's house. Only Caster was there. Lancer grinned and summoned Gae Bolg. Hope was right behind him. Just as Caster noticed Cu Chulainn, he dashed forward. He didn't sense the trap in his bloodlust, but Hope did.

"Lancer, stop!" She held her right hand out and the top half of the hourglass faded. Lancer froze in mid-stride, trying to move. He looked over his shoulder with teeth grit.

"Are ya insane?! Why'd ya have me stop?!" He got his answer a fraction of a second later when a cluster of arrows flew from a nearby bush, flying right in front of Lancer's head to land in the ground to his side.

Hope lowered her hand, releasing the Command Seal. "That's why. If you'd check your senses, you'd notice the others were waiting in an ambush!" The other five Servants came out of hiding at that moment, going in front of Caster. Kojiro struck first. Lancer jumped back to avoid the sword swing and grabbed Hope. Rider was next. As she went at the Servant, Lancer jumped over her, landing in front of Medea. He set Hope down just as she grinned.

"I'll make your Servant ours without killing him!" She took out Rule Breaker. Hope wrestled it out of the witch's hands and stabbed Lancer in the chest with it before it vanished. This was her plan. For her to stab Lancer with Rule Breaker to sever his ties with the Grail since it was her stabbing him and not an enemy Servant. She quickly hit the ground with a series of spells to create a cloud of dust around the two and helped a weak Lancer escape.

Once they were a safe distance, among several trees, Hope laid Lancer down. His breathing was heavy and his body was beginning to fade. The Corruption on him had vanished.

"Now for the second part of my plan." Hope knew she had to hurry before Lancer was gone for good. She yanked off his pants as well as her's. No time left, she needed to get this done NOW. Hope tried to muffle her groans so the enemy Servants wouldn't hear her, as well as any passing hikers, as she took him into her, trying to give him as much mana as she could. As she filled him with more and more mana, the remaining two Command Seals solidified. Huge amounts of mana rushed into Lancer when they climaxed. Hope was completely drained of mana. She'd given it all to Lancer so he wouldn't vanish. Sure, he'd have to keep feeding off her mana, but at least his connection to the Grail was severed.

As she fell forward, Lancer caught her, pulling her into a hug. Hope didn't like to admit it but Lancer did. They were in a relationship. He fucked her before the mess with the other Servants happened. Only for pleasure, though.

As the two got up and got their pants back on, Saber suddenly appeared from the trees, her sword cutting Lancer's forehead as he jumped back. Apparently, their cries when they climaxed were too loud.

There was another part to Hope's plan. Lancer grabbed his Master as the other Servants appeared and hightailed it to Ryudou Temple. After the last war, a rip in space appeared after the Grail's destruction.

The two headed over, but the other six were right behind them. Hope pressed her face into Lancer's arm, completely exhausted. She glanced over at the portal. "Finally here." Assassin took a step forward and Lancer tensed. Hope shook her head. "Not now."

Lancer grit his teeth, but complied. When Berserker swung his ax down, Lancer grabbed Hope and went into the rip.


End file.
